


Alive, At Long Last

by LivingTheUpgrade



Category: Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Aged Up, Alternate Universe - Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King Fusion, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dancing and Undeading, F/M, beetlebabes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:47:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28224861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivingTheUpgrade/pseuds/LivingTheUpgrade
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice/Lydia Deetz, Charles Deetz/Delia Deetz
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Handbook For The Recently Deceased

"If you're going to live like a ghost, you've got to follow the rules. Rule number one, don't leave the house" Beetlejuice says after we finish scaring off a Girl Scout, a census man, a pizza delivery boy, a UPS delivery man, and a neighbor.  
"Why not?" I ask him curious as to why this has changed.  
He snaps his fingers and the front door opens, a force threatens to pull us towards the opening where a giant snake-like creature pops out.  
"That's enough!" I faintly hear him yell over the violent wind.  
"That is a sandworm! And they eat ghosts" he explains "Rule number two: every new ghost gets a... tote bag!" He exclaims, one of his many doppelgängers hands me a tote bag with the NPR logo on it  
"National Public Radio?" I ask, kind of amused.  
"That's where tote bags come from" he says with a smile as I put one of the straps on my shoulder.  
"There's lots of cool stuff in there, there's a bath bomb, there's a Toblerone, there's a book you're never going to read" I dig through the bag with one hand as he speaks and pull out the book.  
"Handbook for the recently deceased?" I say, examining the old book.  
"That's the one! But, Since you're not actually dead, want to see a sad puppet show?"  
He goes to take the book from my hand but I brush him off.  
"Could I use this to find my mom?" I ask.  
"Your mom? Your mom's dead. She's in the netherworld." He says, not understanding what I'm getting at.  
"The netherworld? Well, Could I bring her back? Could I bring her back here?" I ask, determined to get answers from him.  
"What?! Why would anyone want to spend more time with their mother? Did I mention that my mom is a demon? She's impossible, she'd start drinking and I'd be like: "Mom, stop drinking, it's either me or the booze" and then she'd be like: "Well then I choose the booze!" Point is, we just got rid of your dad and we were having so much fun together!" he says, I do feel bad for him, I just need to see my mom one more time.  
I try to open the book but, it stays firmly shut as I pull on the cover.  
"I can't open it." I say, holding the book out to him.  
"Well yeah, cause you're not recently deceased" he says, pointing to the title on the cover.  
"Beetlejuice, you're dead. Why won't you open it for me?" I ask, attempting to guilt trip him into opening the book as we walk up the stairs, going through my bedroom window and onto the roof.  
"Lydia, there are some things more disappointing than losing a parent. I don't want you to regret this" he says as we sit down, a moment of silence passes before I respond.  
"I won't. Please, help me with this" I say, he pulls out the box of Girl Scout cookies and opens the package, handing me a few thin mints before taking a bite of his own.  
"Babes, these things always come at a price" his tone warning me that if there was a time to back out, it's now.  
"And I'll pay it, just tell me what it is," I say, eating my cookies before the chocolate melts.  
He looks at me with a glint of something in his eye, sadness? Disappointment? No, familiarity.  
"These things don't always work out the way we want, I didn't used to be alone in this house before the Maitland's, I went looking for something, someone I shouldn't have and it cost the only thing that could see me" A sadness washes over me as I look into his eyes and see the regret he still feels.  
"What's the price, Beetlejuice?" I ask softly, he lifts his head and eats another cookie.  
"The book's price is always different, depends on what you want. I'm sorry to say that there's two prices to this deal and I think maybe you should ask the Maitland's to open the book before you hear the other price, my price." He says his last two words almost reluctantly, I reach over and squeeze his hand.  
"Okay" I nod and give him a firm kiss on his cheek that I find myself over thinking before going through my window and to the attic.


	2. Everything’s About To Change

The Maitland's immediately stop what they're doing and look at me as I enter the room, I stand in the middle of the room.  
"Would either of you want to open this for me?" I ask, waving the book a little.  
"What is that? Is that an old book? I love old books" Adam says, lovingly.  
"There are two kinds of people in this world: new car smell people" Barbara says coming up to me, Adam crossing over to us shortly after.  
"And old book smell people" Adam finishes her sentence.  
"And we're all old book smell people" I say with a smile as I bring the book up and we smell it briefly "do either of you want to open it for me?" I hold the book out to Adam as Barbara contemplates the title aloud, he takes it as I ask him to do the honours.  
"Where did you get it?" Barbara asks.  
"Beetlejuice gave it to me, I'm going to use it to bring my mom back from the netherworld" I respond briefly.  
We gather close as he opens the book, a light shining off of it as we look at the intro page.  
"Woah, this is such an interesting font" Adam says, I lean my head on his shoulder as Barbara gives him a look.  
He begins reading it out loud, talking about how all ghosts have to report directly to the netherworld.  
"Does it say anything about summoning, some seances?" I ask, flipping pages.  
"Hold on! It says we should draw a door! Now, normally I would use a plumbline for this but, I'm not too shabby with the freehand" He announces going to grab something, he taps a piece of chalk against my nose as he passes me, drawing a door on the shelving of the closest wall to us.  
"A little crooked, knock three times" he says, reading from the book "here goes nothing" he hands the book to Barbara and turns, he knocks on the shelving three times, it opens and green light seeps into the attic followed by a layer of fog.  
"Is that the Netherworld?" I ask as Adam stares in through the door.  
"Netherworld! Netherworld!" Adam calls out as he is drawn to the door, I run to the door but, just as I get to it Barbara slams it shut.  
"This book is dangerous!" She yells while shutting the book.  
"No, don't close that!" I say, too late.  
"This is wrong, it's all wrong!" She shouts, I feel a pang of betrayal at her words.  
"I thought you were on my side!" I say defensively.  
"We are but Lydia, you can't live like this. In a haunted house, all alone" she says, her tone softening as she looks at me.  
"I've been alone since my mother died, I have a chance to see her again, please." I go up to her, pleading.  
"I can't, it's too risky" she responds, I turn to leave the room.  
"Fine, Beetlejuice will help me do it!" I exclaim, opening the door and stepping out.  
"Lydia! Wait!" Adam calls after me, I turn back to him.  
"We're scared for you!" Barbara says, my eyes narrow at her as she speaks.  
"You're scared of everything! That's why you're stuck in the attic!" I sneer at them, slamming the door shut behind me, I run to my bedroom window and climb onto the roof.   
Beetlejuice is sitting exactly where he was when I left, I go up to him and sit down.  
"They slammed the book in my face" I say quietly, looking to the ground.  
He places a hand on mine, silence surrounding us as we remain unmoving.  
"What's the price?" I ask, holding the book out to him.  
"Marry me" he says, I do a double take making sure I heard him correctly.  
In a second I have my mind made, this is a price I don't mind paying.  
"Yes" I say, pushing the book to his chest.  
"Don't you want to think it through?" He asks, I shake my head as I straddle his hips, I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his shoulder.  
"You already live here, we've been sharing a bed the past three days, I don't mind spending my life with you" I say, the sound of two cars coming up the hill causing me to pull away from him and stand up, offering my hand to him.  
"Come on, we have a seance to conduct" I say, his cold hand slides into mine and he stands.  
We go into my room and he flips through the book to find the right passage.  
"Here it is...   
"Hello! Stripey ghost man! I've returned to pry my beloved daughter from your cold, dead hands!" I hear my fathers voice come from down the stairs.  
"If this doesn't work or it goes wrong, I want you to know that I will go through with the wedding"  
"This is the one" Beetlejuice says, avoiding giving an answer, pointing to an excerpt in the book, I hold the book open with my thumb as I walk down the hall.


	3. Dancing With The Devil?

"LEAVE. THIS. HOUSE. The ghosts who dwell here want you GONE. And so do I!" I yell as I stand on the landing.  
"Otho, do something!" My dad yells as I hold open the book.  
"Okay!" The man yells back in an alarmed voice, it being clear that he did not sign up for a real haunting as he flees.  
"Lydia, you are under the influence of dark forces." My father says, I hold back a smirk.  
"No Dad. I'm the dark force. And I'm bringing mom back!" I shout angrily before reading the passage aloud, unaware of my surroundings as I read "Spirit nearest, hearts entwine. Love infernal, shade unblind. I summon thee, lend Ceres' breath. Devoted soul, released from death!" A bright light shines from the box they brought, a figure rising from it.  
"Mom?!" I yell as Adam runs into the room, panicked.  
"Barbara!" He yells.  
"Barbara?" I say in confusion, as she materialises.  
Her screams of pain fill the house, Adam rushes to her and calls her name.  
"What's happening to her?!" He asks me.  
"I don't know . It was supposed to be my mom." I say, flipping frantically through the book to undo what I've just caused.  
"Lydia, what did you do?" My father calls out.  
"I don't know! I don't KNOW!" I say, panic setting in as I can't find the answer in the book, Barbara screams again and I throw the book to the ground as I rush down the stairs.  
Beetlejuice appears to my left, I turn to him with what I'm sure is a pleading expression on my face.  
"The book has a price" he says, I place my hands on his chest, gripping his lapels tightly.  
"How do I stop it?!" I exclaim, his eyes bore into mine as we stand there, Barbara starting to scream once more, a bright green light fills the room and I turn to it, it's source is an open door in the wall.  
"Don't accept the trade" he says quietly, I take his hand as we walk to the door, I see my mother walking to the door through the thick fog and send a brief look over my shoulder to the people in the living room before I grab the handle and pull it shut.  
Barbara drops in a heap and Adam rushes to her, I collapse in Beetlejuice's arms, tears rushing down my face.  
His familiar and comforting cold surrounding me as he wraps his arms around my waist, his head burrowing in the crook of my neck.  
"Barbara, I need to see if she's okay" I say quietly, my lips brushing against the skin on his neck as I speak.  
His arms loosen as he pulls away from me, I slowly move to where Barbara now stands with Adam.  
"I didn't know... I'm sorry" I say, looking up at her, sincere in my apology but I find my thoughts travelling to the feel of my lips brushing against his cold skin.  
"I hate to be the one to interrupt, but can we talk about the demon in the room?!" My father shouts, all eyes turn to Beetlejuice.  
"Oh! Please, my favorite color is green, I like taking long walks on the beach.." Beetlejuice begins to say with a smile that I internally would consider cute.  
"Beej, that's not what he means" I say, an almost nonexistent smile of amusement on my face as I place a hand on his forearm.  
His smile fades as my father begins walking across the room toward me, anger written clearly on his face.  
Beetlejuice presses against me, an arm wrapped around my waist, the hand resting on my hip as his other hand is placed on my hand, protective and slightly possessive in his grip.  
I raise my head, eyes meeting his as I lean into his side, testing how it feels.  
"Lydia, what the hell have you been thinking?! Talking to ghosts, performing seances, making deals with demons?!" He yells, his face turning red with anger.  
"It wasn't a deal with him" I respond as calmly as I can "it was a proposal" Beetlejuice snaps his fingers, his striped suit replaced with a red velvet three piece suit, I notice my dress is now a red lace ball gown with lots of layers, a wedding gown that matches him.  
I look at my father who is now wearing a black tuxedo, my eyes turn toward a group of skeletons that gather around us.  
"May we proceed?" A skeleton holding a book comes up to us.  
I nod, everyone around seems to step aside as the skeleton begins speaking, the words blend together as I focus on Beetlejuice's hands holding mine tenderly.  
"Lydia Deetz?" The skeleton says to me, I turn my gaze away from Beetlejuice to it.


	4. Till Death Do Us Part

"Please offer your commitment to Lawrence Beetlejuice Shoggoth" The officiator says.  
"I, Lydia Deetz, take thee, Lawrence Beetlejuice Shoggoth, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I take you as you are and in every form you may ever be. You are the hope in life and the light in death. I promise to tend to your weakness as I admire your strengths. I promise to show you, day in and day out, that you are my everything. On this day, I give you my heart." I say the words effortlessly, every word a reassurance for Beetlejuice to understand singularly.  
"Lawrence Beetlejuice Shoggoth and Lydia Deetz: as you exchange your rings today, you are also reinforcing your devoted commitment to trust, love, and romance. Each ring serves as a constant reminder that you are loved. Your beloved is giving you the most precious gift in life and death through love." He says, Beetlejuice reaches in his pocket, he lets my hand go as he pulls out a ring, a gold wedding band appears in my hand.  
We quickly place the rings on the others proper finger, the process taking mere seconds.  
"By the power vested in me, before your families and your friends, I now pronounce you lawfully and spiritually united in unholy matrimony. Please seal your marriage with your first wedded kiss." It says, I turn to Beetlejuice with wide eyes, surprised but not panicked.  
His arms wrap around my waist in a weak hold, I place my hands on his shoulders, his head dips as he leans down.  
His lips press a lingering kiss against my cheek, I scoff softly as he begins to pull away.  
"Is that the first kiss you're giving me as my husband?" I whisper in his ear, he pauses, his face an inch away from mine as he meets my eye.  
A moment passes without movement between us, my lips collide against his in a fervid kiss, flashes of light fill the room as I pull away for air.  
"I'm alive?!" He exclaims, a hand intertwining with mine as he goes on a tangent about the emotions he's feeling, my father comes up to us and claps him on the shoulder, congratulating him.  
The sound of metal tearing through flesh fills the silence, I see dad pull the knife out of Beetlejuice's chest, Beetlejuice falls to the floor.  
I kneel next to him and put pressure on the wound, attempting to stop the rapid blood flow, his lukewarm blood pooling through my fingers.  
"Beetlejuice where did my phone go when you got me into this dress?" I ask, panicking, he reaches in his pocket and I command Siri to call 911, the paramedics arrive minutes later.  
I get in the back of the ambulance with Beetlejuice, the ride to the hospital deathly slow yet exceedingly fast.  
All my surroundings are fading till all I can see is Beetlejuice lying on the gurney and all I can hear is my heart racing, the sirens still blaring and flashing as we exit the ambulance.


	5. Jealousy’s The Cousin Of Greed

Once we arrive at the hospital all I hear is the pounding of my heart, murmured voices, and the faint sounds of machines beeping, I sit in a chair in the waiting room with my knees to my chest, my wedding dress long enough that I don't have to worry about modesty.  
A couple of hours pass and I haven't moved, a hand on my knee causes me to look up, my father is looking down on me and I pull back.  
"You're the reason I'm here, don't try to make me feel better about what you did" I say with a sneer, not caring if I hurt his feelings.  
"I was trying to protect you" he says, a defense that makes no difference in the end.  
"By killing my husband?!" I seethe loudly at him, I see a couple of heads turn toward us but can't bring myself to care.  
He remains silent for a moment, slightly retreating.  
"He's a demon, he could hurt you." He says, I laugh quietly at his words.  
"Hurt me? You obviously had some trust in him to leave me alone in the house with him for three days" I say, his frown deepens.  
"Perhaps you stayed away because you were too busy with Delia? Or because you didn't care enough to make sure your daughter was alright" I try to see his answer in his expression, knowing he will never vocalize why he left me.  
Nothing I've said so far has been the reason but I have more theories and I am determined to get the answer.  
"Was it because you were afraid that I wanted to be alone with him? That I wanted to have a life with him and the Maitland's?" I ask, letting the words sink in before I continue "that he knew what I was going through, he understood me, accepted me, and wanted me when you wouldn't even talk to me?"  
He sneers, visibly angry now.  
"Of course, you were mad because I wanted him more than you." I say, a nurse coming out of Beetlejuice's room comes up to us and I stand quickly.  
"He's stabilized, the doctor is in the middle of the thoracotomy to control the hemorrhaging, he should be done in about two hours. Do you need anything? You look pale sweetie" she says to me, concern in her voice and on her face.  
"No, I just have a headache. The machines are so loud" I say, clutching my head with a hand.  
"Let's get you some ibuprofen and some water, have you eaten anything in the last 30 to 60 minutes?" She asks politely, I shake my head and she nods.  
"I'll bring you something with the ibuprofen, okay?" She says, turning to leave.  
"Wait" I say, she turns back and looks at me "thank you, Melissa"   
She smiles at me softly, clearly taken aback.  
"You're welcome" she says before rushing off.  
I sit back in my chair and doze off, movement in front of me makes me look up, Melissa sets a bag down on the end table next to me and hands me a bottle of water.  
"The ibuprofen is in the bag, I suggest you eat first though. I'm going on break, if you need anything there will be a nurse at the desk" she says.  
"Thank you, you have been one of the few good things to happen today" I say, taking a sip of water.  
She smiles and sits next to me, pulling out her own water bottle and taking a drink.  
"You remind me of my son, he's about your age. I, um, I saw the stab wound and I just want you to know he will make it, the recovery will be a hard one but, he'll be just fine" she says, pulling out a bag of baby carrots and snacking on them.  
"Who knew my wedding day would turn out like this, I always joked about someone dying at my wedding, I just thought it was going to be my father from a heart attack. Not my father stabbing my husband" I say, she laughs a little.  
"Sorry, you probably want to eat" I say, taking a bite of the sandwich she brought me.  
"I'm a nurse, I can multitask." She says, we make small talk as we eat, after half an hour she gets up and we say our goodbyes as she goes back to working.  
An hour and a half passes and the doctor and another nurse exit Beetlejuice's room, I stand up and the doctor excuses himself to talk to me.  
"The thoracotomy was successful, he should make a full recovery with no lasting issues. You can go in now but, he's had a lot of pain medication so, I can't tell you how long he'll be awake for." He says, I thank him and go into the room, the lights are dim and the only noise is the occasional mechanic beep from the machines.  
I bring a chair to the bed quietly and sit, his eyes open and I smile at him.  
He gives me a weak smile as he reaches his hand toward me, I take his hand in mine and sigh.  
"I'm glad you're alive, I don't know what I would have done if you died." I say, bringing his hand to my lips and giving it a kiss.  
The warmth radiating from him was new and unfamiliar, a different feeling of nice and comforting.  
"You feel so nice," he says, his smile appearing once more.  
"You do too" I whisper, my eyes tearing up till eventually the tears stream down my cheeks, he moves his other hand to brush them away, but retreats in slight pain and discomfort.  
"Just, take it easy. I'm fine, you're the one in the hospital bed" I say, wiping the tears away.  
"What does love feel like?" He asks curiously, I lift my head, causing our eyes to meet.  
I lean over him, my face mere inches away from his.  
"Like this" I say, pressing my lips to his warm and gentle against mine.  
We pull away for air and he nods, smiling as he does so.  
"It feels really good, Why do I feel like it's not going to last?" He asks, I frown.  
"Self consciousness, it's not going anywhere as long as I'm here" I say, he nods his head and I smile, I sit back down and see him slowly falling asleep.  
His hand in mine, I rest my head on the bed, falling into a light sleep as my other hand rests on his wrist as if to monitor his pulse myself.


	6. The Rise And The Fall

I jerk awake as I hear the door open, automatically on the defensive due to the nature of the hospital visit.  
"I'm just checking up on him, seeing if air is escaping the lungs and to make sure his pulse, breathing and temperature are normal." the nurse says, going through the motions of her task.  
"Everything exceeds the doctor's expectation, this is the fastest I've ever seen anyone heal. I expect he'll be able to get the cannula and chest tube removed in the next day or so." She says, walking to the door to leave before turning back  
"When he wakes up he can start taking short walks around the ward every couple of hours to counteract blood clots"  
The door shuts loudly behind her, a few minutes pass as I observe Beetlejuice's breathing based on the intervals of time between his chest rising and falling.  
I hear him let out a low groan before I raise my eyes to his, our eyes lock and he smiles at me.  
"Morning sleeping beauty" I say with a smile as I rub my thumb against his hand.  
"Hey, you stayed here?" He asks, confusion in his eyes, a glimmer of something I can't quite place in his eyes.  
"Of course I did, I wasn't going to drop the bombshell of a love confession and leave on our wedding night" his eyes flash with something I've only seen in my dad's eyes when he would look at my mom "anyway, you must be hungry, can I get you something?" I say, trying to distract from my previous words as I stand up and brush down the skirt of my dress.  
"I've always wanted to try chicken noodle soup, you seem to enjoy it a lot, but they don't make it that often." He says, a frown on his face as he says the last part.  
"I'll ask the nurse, if I can bring you some," I say, slipping my hand out of his as I turn to the door.  
"Lydia" he says as I take my first step, I turn to him and lock my eyes with his "never mind, it can wait"   
I give a look of disbelief as I move forward to him, I place my hand on his cheek, my thumb stroking the surprisingly soft skin.  
His eyes shut as he leans into my touch, my eyes fluttering shut as I bring my lips to his, he brings a hand to my neck, pulling me slightly to him.  
After a few moments I pull away, my eyes opening slowly as I smile at him.  
A small smile graces his features as he opens his eyes and looks at me.  
"Thanks" he says breathlessly.  
"All you have to do is ask" I say, turning and leaving, my cheeks flushed as I exit the room.  
I go to the nurses station and ask if I'm allowed to bring him soup, they agree and I make my way out of the hospital into the rain as I begin to walk home.  
"Lydia?!" I hear Delia's voice, I continue walking, ignoring her voice.  
"Lydia! You can't walk home. It's pouring. I came to visit Beetlejuice, your father doesn't know I'm here, please just get in!" She calls out, I give in and get in the car.  
"I need to go home really quick. Please, just be fast." I say, putting my seatbelt on.  
"I don't agree with what your father did, attempted murder is not okay" she says, I gaze out the window as she speeds her way to the house.  
I go up to my room and Barbara helps me unbutton the back of the dress before rushing off to do something, I pull on a dark purple turtleneck sweater and a pair of black jeans.  
I keep my fingerless gloves on and put my combat boots back on before brushing my hair and teeth, touching up my makeup quickly.  
I grab the black and white striped throw blanket and my purse before going downstairs to make his soup.  
"Here, be safe on your way back" Delia says as she holds out a bag, I take it hesitantly and Barbara hands me two Tupperware containers of freshly made chicken noodle soup, I thank them and quickly leave.  
I rush back to the hospital and check back in, when I get to his room he's mindlessly flipping through a magazine.  
"I'm back with soup that Barbara made," I say, sitting in the chair next to the bed.  
He puts the magazine down and looks at me like he's seeing me for the first time.  
"What?" I say, handing him one of the Tupperware containers of soup and a spoon.  
"You're just so...beautiful" he says quietly as I prop my feet up on the metal of the bed frame and lay the blanket over me.  
"Thank you, you're not so bad yourself" I say, looking him over to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be.  
"The doctor came in and removed the nose tube and chest tube" he states as my eyes reach his face again.  
"It's called a cannula, not a nose tube" I say with a small laugh, I grab my own container of soup and open it, we eat in comfortable silence.  
I set my half eaten container of soup on the nightstand as I put his empty one in the bag of snacks and drinks Delia handed me.  
"Do you want to go on a walk?" I say, he nods excitedly as I get up "I'll just go double check with the nurse"   
I exit the room and ask the nurse, who comes in and moves the I.V pole, hanging a saline bag from it and then giving him the okay to stand, he gets up slowly but without any difficulty.  
"You should be out here in the next couple of days the way you're going" she says to him as he stands at my side.  
He looks down at me in excitement and I smile up at him fondly, we exit the room and the nurse goes back to her station. Beetlejuice and I talk as we walk loops around the hospital for about an hour.  
"Would you like to call it quits after this one?" I say, tightening my arm around him.  
"Yeah, I think I would" he replies as we make our way back, the nurse hooking him back up to the machines in the room as he lays on his back.  
I pull off my boots and curl up in my chair with the blanket as he reads Hamlet out loud.  
"Wait, where did you get that?" I ask, he stops reading and looks at me.  
"Didn't you put it here? I was just thinking about it and then I saw it on the table" he says, I shake my head and his eyes go wide, he opens the drawer and pulls out a Handbook For The Recently Deceased.  
"You're not dead Beetlejuice, I don't understand" I say, looking at the book.  
"It never said I would become human. I'm a demon Lydia, the rule of being dead doesn't apply, I'll always be able to open the book" he says, thumbing through it "I still have my powers because I'm not human"  
"Okay, that explains it. Can you please keep reading? If you want to, if you can" I say before thinking about how inconsiderate it sounds "or I can read, if you'd rather"   
He smiles, picking up the book and continuing where he left off. I rest my head on my arm and fall asleep to his voice.


	7. I Wanna Go Home

"I'm glad to see you're being taken care of" I hear Delia's voice as I slowly wake up.  
"Yeah, they said I should be able to leave in the next day or two." Beetlejuice says happily as I stretch.  
I open my eyes and see him looking at me, I give a small wave to them before putting my shoes back on and taking a long drink of my water.  
"Morning babes" Beetlejuice says, I get up and give him a kiss on the forehead, I brush his hair back before sitting back in my chair, his hand in mine.  
"How are you feeling?" I say, Delia looking at me in shock.  
"Great! The nurse came in earlier and told me the doctor was thinking about discharging me today or tomorrow!" He exclaims  
"That's great news Beej, it'll be nice to be back at the house" I say, Delia's stare causes me to look at her.  
"Your father is gone, he left in a rage when I lectured him about trying to kill Beetlejuice" she says, pressing her fingers into her temples as if to get rid of a headache.  
"He'll be back, I'm just trying to focus on Beetlejuice right now" I say, his face lights up and he squeezes my hand gently.  
I look at the clock, it reads: 11:56 am, there's a knock at the door before the doctor comes in followed by a nurse.  
"Well, Lawrence I have decided since all the tests have come back way above what I would expect someone in your position to be in and you are breathing on your own just fine that you can go home today." The doctor says, setting down his clipboard.  
"Delia can I talk to you?" I say, she nods and follows me out of the room.  
"Is it safe to bring him back to the house?" I say, concern heavy in my voice, her expression softens as she places a hand on my shoulder.  
"He'll be fine, Charles isn't there" she says, I close my eyes and release a sigh as I lean my head back.  
I open my eyes and move my head at the sound of the door opening, the doctor and nurse come out telling me all he has to do is get dressed.  
I go back into his room, shutting the door behind me, leaving Delia in the waiting room.  
"Need any help?" I say, putting the chair back and gathering my things.  
"No, I can do this" he says stubbornly as he attempts to pull on his pants again.  
I walk up to where he sits on the bed, I get on my knees and pull each foot through his pants till the article of clothing is pooled at his ankles.  
"Stand up" I say, moving back a few inches and he reluctantly follows suit, I look up at him and raise my eyebrow as he meets my eye.  
I loop a finger through a belt loop on either side of his pants and pull them up as I slowly bring myself up to stand in front of him, I slowly zip and button his pants as our eyes lock.  
"Th- thanks" his voice comes out as a weak stutter as I move back to the door.  
"You're welcome" I say, attempting to be casual as he buttons his shirt most the way up before snapping his fingers to make his shoes appear on his feet, his suspenders and jacket also on.  
"Ready" he says, I place the strap of my bag on my shoulder as I grab the bag and blanket on our way out.  
We fill out the discharge papers as well as we can and the nurse hands him a small white prescription bag and a booklet of papers before we leave.


End file.
